By Mike Darling (mike.darling@sympatico.ca)
White Wolf Lore can be purchased the same as any other Knowledge, although it costs full points, and not the mini-max Secondary Traits cost. It is marked on the character sheet but unlike Rage, Glamour, Sphere, Discipline, Avatar, etc. levels, it is rarely spoken of in-character. It is, for example, common (and perfectly acceptable) to hear characters comparing their ratings in certain things, such as Arts. "I know Legerdemain 3" for instance. This is to be encouraged, as it allows everyone to note comparative power levels in a handy reference format. It is too cumbersome to try and figure out a foe's power level unless these markers are given. However, White Wolf Lore is never discussed as it is more of a side effect of the character and not an inherent ability. It should also be noted at this point that if players do not list White Wolf Lore on their character sheet, they can sneak it in at the most convenient moment in-game to make them look knowledgeable. Extra experience should be given in such situations.
White Wolf Lore reflects the inherent knowledge a character has of the world around them, and most importantly of the supernatural aspects of that world. Its mechanics are that the character knows nothing of the world by itself, but rather the player knows it all and channels this to his character, somewhat akin to Garou Past Lives.
This trait has already been integrated into the World of Darkness in nearly every Chronicle, as enterprising players make in-game decisions about character perception and actions based on their near-omniscient insider information gleaned from the sourcebooks. Now Storytellers can rejoice that they have an accurate gauge as to what they can and cannot do, as there will always be characters who know how the world should really be. Now if the Storyteller is tempted to deviate from the strict rules of White Wolf, and their pre-approved creatures, they can relax and allow their players to straighten them out.
It should be noted that this new knowledge will eliminate any pesky need for a prelude, as the character will begin the game knowing all he needs to know. The Flaw: Twisted Upbringing and its ilk have been removed from the game entirely, unless Storytellers approve, and hold the players to a system of behaviour in which the character only acts on the most amusing misinformation. In other words, keep the character safe, but allow hilarious slip-ups when the opportunity arises, based on a warped upbringing. However, never tolerate the character actually missing a chance at "winning" simply because a certain fact about the game was overlooked. For instance, if an NPC opens a gateway to Enoch, the character with a Twisted Upbringing would know all a player might know, but act a little off, maybe assuming that the Antediluvians there were able to be diablerized without fear of retribution by the Camarilla.
| * | Novice: A new player to the game who must rely on another player's extensive WW info. |
| ** | Practiced: A relatively new player who must read the rulebook to allow omniscience. |
| *** | Competent: Has read nearly all Storyteller books, but occasionally needs to reference. |
| **** | Expert: Has read all editions of all books, can quote page numbers of most. |
| ***** | Master: Intuitive knowledge of all sourcebooks; true White Wolf rules lawyerhood. |
As an example, Dotti, a newcomer to Changeling, creates a character with the help of her friends, most of whom are experienced WoD gamers. She notes White Wolf Lore on her character sheet, with only 1 dot. The game begins.
Questing through a graveyard one night at the behest of a Sluagh, the motley meets up with a large, winged, rocklike creature raising the dead from their tombs. Thankfully, she is in good hands, for even though her character is a Childling and went through her Chrysalis a week ago in game time, along with her motley, they have enough White Wolf Lore to deal with the situation. Recognizing the creature as a Gargoyle immediately, her player friends make the requisite comments about diablerizing a Giovanni, and thus increase their prestige amongst the gaming group. The Storyteller makes a note to give more experience than normal, as this was a somewhat difficult subject.
The motley deals with the Gargoyle through liberal Sovereign and Primal cantrips, preserving the not-yet-decayed body so that (as Stan, another player urges) they may find a Silent Strider from the Eaters of the Dead camp and thus preserve the Gargoyle's information in the form of an ally.
Mere seconds in game-time after the characters met the Gargoyle, they have dealt with it, all thanks to their admirable background research into White Wolf Lore. Just think: the characters themselves would have been at a loss to explain the creature had it not been for WWL. Thank goodness they had done their homework. They go on to have many adventures, all properly played because of the knowledge. Most of them gain titles within a couple of weeks, and reign over the supernaturals in their area with an acute eye to behaviour patterns before finally opening a gateway back to Arcadia with the help of their Silent Strider (now Malkavian Abomination, diablerist of the highest calibre) ally. This is also due to some excellent research by the Childling, who managed to come up with the plan while reading Clanbook: Malkavian in downtime. Extra experience was rewarded of course.
There you have it; an example of what a group of characters can do when players have done their homework. There is no need for the characters to actually learn anything in-game, because it has all been added through White Wolf Lore and the player's research.
If you do not have this ability in your Chronicle, then you will fall into a situation where characters experience horror and confusion, because they must adhere to only acting upon what they have learned in-game. Where would that lead? Why, it might take months before they could uncover a mortal plot! Giving them White Wolf Lore would allow them to root out the plot, and deal with it in record time, based upon the clues in-game.
Don't restrict your players to actual role-playing, when they can have fun and impress each other with sessions of theoretical gaming! Why drudge through game session after game session of role-playing when you can have a spirited discussion of the rules and powers flavoured with just a bit of character development? It makes no sense.
In short, out-of-character information ruins roleplaying. Or at a more insidious level, it changes role-playing into something where its player vs. player rather than character vs. character. No, that's not right...it shouldn't be character vs. character either, unless that's the concept with which you begin.
It's difficult to keep out-of-character information out of a Chronicle. I've struggled with that myself. Just try to remember what your character would know, and act accordingly. You're not going to know about the Black Hand, for instance, when you just finished being Embraced. You're also not going to know anything about Kindred, or their plots. And you're definitely not going to know things your gaming group does which are not evident in the actual game. That's why a werewolf pack never works well; players can't seem to be able to ignore the things which don't concern their characters (say a teammate using Taking the Forgotten), and the character begins to suffer and act abnormally in respect to what it knows.
If you wish to act as though you are aware of everything in the Chronicle, I'd advise investing in the various Lore traits and a high Perception. Otherwise, keep White Wolf Lore confined to chit-chat outside of game time . . . .